What does a city have to do to get some respect?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Melissa,  don't you all still have Harry's Markets?  or did those go away? 

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Official explanation:

Harry's Farmers Market debuted in the Atlanta area in 1987 when founder Harry Blazer opened the first megastore in Alpharetta, GA. It was a quick success, becoming profitable within the first year.

Known for fresh, delicious foods, produce, and gourmet products, the company expanded... The company went public in 1993 and launched a separate chain, Harry's in a Hurry, a small specialty store that was not a part of the Whole Foods Market acquisition. Whole Foods Market acquired the three Harry's Farmers Market perishable megastores, a distribution center, a commissary kitchen, bakehouse, and office facilities in October 2001.

the source

Unofficial explanation: I loved Harry's because it had something for everyone! The prepared foods were amazing, the produce was exquisite, and the packaged goods rivalled Trader Joe's ... the dream ended when Harry Blazer left Atlanta suddenly due to financial issues. The chain was bought by Whole Foods ... not at all the same...

[indybear]

What's the big deal with Trader Joes? I think the produce is worse there then at my local chain supermarket. It's a past-ripe soft organic produce hell.

As are the ones here in Indianapolis. I have stopped buying any produce there because it's lower quality than what I can get at my neighborhood grocery store. That said, I do do love TJ's cheeses, frozen foods and especially their crackers and snack foods.

I keep hearing rumors that we may be getting a Whole Foods, but so far no sign of one.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Melissa, I'm not sure why you're fixated on places like D&D and Balducci's when what you should really be pining for is Wegman's

And, after checking out their website, I have to agree with you on Wegman's! Incredible services offered and a place to dine well on the premises!

[Curlz]

It really is an amazing store/chain, and well worth a trip if you're in the vicinity of one! Now if we could just get them to open one in northern NJ...

[kellycolorado]

Basically the further from the coasts you are, the more expensive it is for Trader Joe's to distribute to their stores and the less likely they are to be located there. I did a little research when I was trying to figure out if they'd ever open one in Colorado.

Also, I don't know what your liquor laws are like, but in Colorado you can only buy wine and hard liquor in liquor stores. First and foremost TJ's is a wine shop. I believe their #1 profits are still from wine sales. So as far as I'm concerned it's highly unlikely they will ever set up shop in Colorado for example.

Hard for me to believe that Atlanta is that bad

What are you looking for in Atlanta that you can't find?  Robyn

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(a) it's not that bad at all and, if you read my initial post, you will find the answer to

(b) I am looking for a Trader Joe's basically ... can't understand why they are not yet in this city...

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[therese]

...the dream ended when Harry Blazer left Atlanta suddenly due to financial issues. The chain was bought by Whole Foods ... not at all the same...

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Well, Harry's dream died, but the business on which Harry's dream was based, Your Dekalb Farmers Market, is going great guns. Originally Harry and his brother Robert ran DFM together, but there was some sort of falling out and Robert ended up with DFM while Harry headed off to build an empire. Or not.

There are two Whole Foods within easy driving distance of my house (about the same distance as DFM is from my house), but I use them rarely. On those few occasions when I have resorted to WF (one of them's next to a large book store, another's fairly convenient to work) I routinely leave furious, frustrated at the staff's lack of education ("Marsala? Is that a cheese?" "No, it's a type of wine." "Did you look in the wine section?" "Yes, I looked in the wine section. Are you familiar with the wine section?" "Yes, I work in the wine section." "So I guess you don't have Marsala, since you've never heard it." "Uh, yeah.") and crap processed food.

DFM's biggest problem is the hordes of tourists on the weekends. Visit if you happen to be in the area, but please avoid blocking the aisles.

Hey, maybe we could do a little exercise: give me a grocery list and I'll see how closely I can match it without running all over hell's half acre.

[LindaK]

...so I guess it's back to the DeKalb Market for produce..."

I'm glad someone mentioned the Dekalb Farmers Market. I haven't been for a few years, but back when I used to visit Altlanta regularly, going to the DFM was always a treat--I remember a great produce section and a decent wine shop as the highlights, and I always came away with some fun condiments. Live fish, too, if I remember correctly. And it's huge. I'd trade my local Trader Joe's for it any day.

[Gifted Gourmet]

There's still the whirl of busy shopping carts bumping into one another, amid a catalog of languages bouncing off your ears. It's still quite an experience to shop at the Market, something like nothing else in Atlanta... we experienced another part of the market: its cafeteria. It is one of the best we have tested in this area, and certainly is relatively inexpensive. The food is superb. And the selection is immense. We went back after dining and simply counted the offerings:

16 vegetables.

3 soups.

9 starches (including lasagna).

13 meats (including goat and lamb stew).

3 different Samosas.

12 desserts.

8 salad dressings.

66 salad bar offerings.

Gwinnett Forum

Okay, therese, I shall throw away my widow's weeds for Trader Joe's and head for the Dekalb Farmers' Market ...

[robyn]

OK, I'm going to have to revise my opinion of TJ's.  I heard a commercial for them on the radio today . . . they have skinned, boneless, WILD Coho salmon (frozen, of course) for $5.99 @ pound.  I'm going to have to jump on the subway and go visit them for some of that.

Because I live in the middle of city (in a very "hip" neighborhood which, nevertheless, doesn't have wonderful food vendors), I have just become used to travelling around to find the best of everything.  For example, my local Safeway sometimes puts crab meat on sale for about $10 per pound.  For my husband and myself, I will make 6 crab cakes out of that pound and serve a dinner where we each get two.  With the remaining two uncooked cakes, I will go to the Whole Foods and get two boned (!!!), farmed Rainbow Trout and stuff each with a crab cake.  The trout is about $6 per pound.

It just takes a little bit of thought and planning.

I do, however, sympathize with those of you who don't have access to this kind of stuff.  When my mother graduated from college at the age of 68 in El Paso, the whole family went down for the ceremonies and I planned on cooking a celebratory meal for the 9 people I had to worry about.  I was astonished that I couldn't find fresh basil, and I had to go to I don't remember how many supermarkets to find fresh lobster--I wanted to make lobster risotto as an appetizer course.  I had thought to bring some pine nuts, since nobody down there knew what I was talking about.  And, I also carried a carton of mascarpone cheese and Italian Lady fingers to make tiramisu for dessert.

I won't even discuss finding appropriate wine.  The dinner was memorable and everybody had a good time.  (The following week, my mother reported that a bunch of supermarkets were advertizing lobsters on sale.  They must have ordered some after I visited so many making inquiries.)  Go figure.

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I think the key in terms of access to ingredients is not necessarily the size of the city - but the number of people with an income over X who are willing to pay for those ingredients. Of course - you need more people with an income over X in your neighborhood to get a Nieman Marcus than to get mascarpone cheese . That said - I really don't trouble myself with *where* I can get food items as long as I can get them. And I can get just about everything I use on a regular basis these days locally (wasn't the case when I moved here 10 years ago). One of the few exceptions - haricots verts - went by the boards recently when both Costo and Publix started selling them in cute little microwave bags.

As an aside regarding fish - I don't know if it's a new federal law - or state law - or just a business practice - but suddenly every store here in north Florida now has complete fish information in front of the stuff for sale (fresh or frozen, wild or farmed, domestic or country of origin, color added or not, etc.). I've found that since the new fish labeling started - we're seeing a lot more in terms of higher end fish offerings (but the price differences are kind of an eye opener). Only exception to the "higher priced stuff" is 16-20 fresh local wild shrimp (Mayport shrimp) - which are down to $11/pound as opposed to $15/pound last year. I feel like Bubba Gump this summer . Robyn

[jmcgrath]

I'm glad someone mentioned the Dekalb Farmers Market.  I haven't been for a few years, but back when I used to visit Altlanta regularly, going to the DFM was always a treat--I remember a great produce section and a decent wine shop as the highlights, and I always came away with some fun condiments. Live fish, too, if I remember correctly. And it's huge.  I'd trade my local Trader Joe's for it any day.

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Have you been to Idylwilde Farm in Acton, MA? It's no Central Market, but probably the closest we will get to it in the Boston area.

Jim

[robyn]

As for Whole Foods = Whole Pay Check (mentioned in another message) - we don't have one in our area - but I've shopped there.  Some of the prices are silly - but if you look - there are some real bargains (e.g., the Whole Foods "House Truffles" at about $6 for a half pound).  Robyn

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What I love about Whole Foods is that while they may charge a lot, they give you some service with it. I did a cooking demo at the Whole Foods in Toronto that was open to the public at no charge. They also offer their teaching kitchen up for use for community meetings and events at no charge. Our national chain of grocery stores (Superstore) may charge less for foods, but they charged $30 for my cooking demo. They don't carry the same products, they don't have the same helpful staff and they charge shoppers .04 per bag! I hate that.

If you live in a city with other good gourmet or high-end foods, then maybe a place like Whole Foods isn't all that. If you live in a town without any of these places, seeing a Whole Foods going up would bring joy and happiness to your life

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Well I would be happy if a Whole Foods opened here. This week - there was a big article in the business section in the local paper about Whole Foods' possible plans to expand in Florida. I hadn't realized that it only has 7 stores in the whole state of Florida - only 1 in the Miami area (about an hour away from where I used to live in Miami). So the possible expansion in the state would be on the order of dozens of stores (we're now the 4th largest state in the country - and all areas of the state are getting more and more people with money - even the area where I live). Will be interesting to see what happens. Robyn

[joey madison]

Yikes, this thread makes me proud of tiny little Madison, Wisconsin.

No shortage of decent-to-great locally owned groceries, delis, butchers, etc. Not to mention the great co-ops, and farmers markets. While we do have a Whole Foods, the place seems mediocre and over-priced compared to many of the other options. And Trader Joe's just announced its coming to town. Yay.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Yikes, this thread makes me proud of tiny little Madison, Wisconsin.

No shortage of decent-to-great locally owned groceries, delis, butchers, etc.  Not to mention the great co-ops, and farmers markets... And Trader Joe's just announced its coming to town.  Yay.

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Maybe the fact that the enormous University of Wisconsin played a significant part in this choice and congratulations on your soon-to-be-Trader Joe's! Shop for me vicariously!

[Megan Blocker]

I'm glad someone mentioned the Dekalb Farmers Market.  I haven't been for a few years, but back when I used to visit Altlanta regularly, going to the DFM was always a treat--I remember a great produce section and a decent wine shop as the highlights, and I always came away with some fun condiments. Live fish, too, if I remember correctly. And it's huge.  I'd trade my local Trader Joe's for it any day.

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Have you been to Idylwilde Farm in Acton, MA? It's no Central Market, but probably the closest we will get to it in the Boston area.

Jim

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I love Idywilde! It's fantastic.

[rickster]

One thing to point out is that not all TJ's and Whole Foods are created equal. I recently moved to the midwest from CT and the selection in Whole Foods especially is quite different. The CT WF was much more gourmet oriented, with more exotic produce, estate olive oils, etc. The WF I go to in Deerfield IL has a much better bakery. From what I read on Chowhound, the TJs in California carry quite a different selection of products than what I've seen.

[kellycolorado]

One thing to point out is that not all TJ's and Whole Foods are created equal. I recently moved to the midwest from CT and the selection in Whole Foods especially is quite different. The CT WF was much more gourmet oriented, with more exotic produce, estate olive oils, etc. The WF I go to in Deerfield IL has a much better bakery. From what I read on Chowhound, the TJs in California carry quite a different selection of products than what I've seen.

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So true. The Whole Foods in Ann Arbor, MI is huge and has a great microbrew selection (Dogfish head 60 minute IPA, etc). On the other hand, TJ's in MI is nice but a lot of the meat products I recommended to my mom aren't in her store so I stopped recommending them. (marinated flank steak for example) The store clerk told her they may be arriving eastward in a year or two though.